This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(October 2009) |
KEYT-TV(channel 3) is atelevision stationlicensed toSanta Barbara, California,United States, serving theCentral Coast of Californiaas an affiliate ofABC,CBS,andMyNetworkTV.It is owned by theNews-Press & Gazette Company(NPG) alongsideSan Luis Obispo–licensedlow-power,Class AFoxaffiliateKKFX-CD(channel 24); NPG also provides certain services toSanta Maria–licensedTelemundoaffiliateKCOY-TV(channel 12) through ashared servicesagreement (SSA) with VistaWest Media,LLC.KEYT-TV's studios are located on Miramonte Drive on TV Hill, overlooking downtown Santa Barbara; KCOY-TV and KKFX-CD share separate facilities at West McCoy Lane and Skyway Drive in Santa Maria north ofSanta Maria Public Airport.KEYT-TV's transmitter is located atop Broadcast Peak, between Santa Barbara andSanta Ynezin theSanta Ynez Mountains.
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|---|---|
| City | Santa Barbara, California |
| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KCOY-TV,KKFX-CD | |
| History | |
First air date | May 31, 1953 |
Former call signs | KEYT (1953–1987) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog:3 (VHF,1953–2009) |
Call signmeaning | "Key to Television"[2] |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 60637 |
| ERP | 250kW |
| HAAT | 918 m (3,012 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°31′32″N119°57′32″W/ 34.52556°N 119.95889°W |
| Translator(s) | see§ Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
History
editEarly years
editKEYT-TV firstsigned onthe air on May 31, 1953, after obtaining aconstruction permitfrom theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) on November 13, 1952.[4]It was owned by the Santa Barbara Broadcasting & Television Corporation. Harry Butcher, who ownedKIST(1340 AM), was a 14% owner of the new TV station.
During the 1950s, the station ran programming from all four TV networks: ABC,CBS,NBCand theDuMont Television Network.[5]Dumont discontinued operations in 1956. The original owners sold the station to Key Television in 1957. KEYT-TV lost its NBC affiliation in 1964 whenKCOY-TVin nearby Santa Maria signed on. KEYT then shared CBS with KCOY until 1969, when the inclusion ofSan Luis Obispo Countyinto the Santa Barbara—Santa Mariamedia marketresulted in KEYT becoming exclusively affiliated with ABC. KCOY became the CBS affiliate, andKSBYin San Luis Obispo became the region's NBC affiliate. KEYT was purchased by Shamrock Broadcasting in 1984.
Later developments
editIn September 1998, KEYT-TV ownerSmith Broadcastingpurchased radio stationKTMS(1250 AM) for $1.6 million[6]and launched anall-newsformat with new call letters KEYT to match those of its new TV sister. "KEYT 1250" featured news reports from theAssociated Pressand simulcasts of KEYT-TV newscasts. (The previousnews/talkformat and call letters of KTMS moved to990 AMupon the sale to Smith.) The radio operation was a financial drain on Smith Broadcasting from the beginning, losing $1 million over five years, and the station was sold to Lazer Broadcasting in October 2003.[7]
Between March and September 2007, as the station transitioned to ahigh definitionsignal, KEYT-HD was initially unavailable to cable subscribers in the Central Coast due to a carriage dispute with the local cable companies. KEYT eventually reached an agreement withCox Communicationsin Santa Barbara,Comcastin Santa Maria, andCharter Cablein San Luis Obispo to carry its HDTV signal. In 2012,Time Warner CableinVentura Countybegan carrying the HDTV signal.
On September 7, 2012,News-Press & Gazette Companyannounced that it had entered into an agreement to purchase KEYT-TV from Smith Media for $14.3 million.[8]The transaction was approved by the FCC on November 6[9]and was completed on November 19, 2012.[10][11]Smith Media had owned KEYT since 1987.
On January 28, 2013, KEYT retired the longtimeKEY Newsbranding and, with the new owner's purchase, rebranded asNewsChannel 3.The branding is similar to that ofPalm Springssister stationKESQ-TV.KEYT's newscasts and site now include a graphics package that is similar to all NPG stations and is operated byInternet Broadcasting.
On April 1, 2013, KEYT began broadcasting its news in high definition. Up to that point, KEYT aired network and syndicated programming in HD but the newscasts were still in standard definition.
News Now
edit
When KEYT acquired theMyNetworkTVaffiliation in June 2006, it initially showed only MyNetworkTV programming, witha test patternrunning outside of network programming hours.[12]By the fall of 2007, the station had managed to obtainsyndicationbroadcast rights toFamily GuyandSouth Park,and officially launched its second digital subchannel under the branding "MyNetworkTV Central Coast" in October 2007, replacingLos Angeles–based MyNetworkTV affiliateKCOPon all cable systems in the Central Coast region.
The subchannel initially ran astandard-definitionsimulcast of KEYT's primary channel outside of MyNetworkTV programming. On October 30, 2007, KEYT-DT2 added a secondary affiliation with theLuken Communications-ownedRetro Television Networkto RTV programming outside of MyNetworkTVprime timeprogram slots.[13]The subchannel subsequently changed its branding to "My RTN" to coincide with the new affiliation, later changing to "My RTV" after the network modified its on-air acronym to "RTV", then finally "My Retro TV".
On April 18, 2017, the 3.2 subchannel dropped Retro TV because station management was unsure of it continuing as a going concern with a declining affiliate base, along with contractual restrictions on using it as an overflow channel for breaking news. (Before that date, it was the only "Big Four" network affiliate nationwide left still carrying the network as a subchannel). In the interim, the station relaunched KEYT-DT2 asNews Now,airing simulcasts and rebroadcasts of newscasts from KEYT-TV and KKFX-CD, along with live rolling coverage of local political events, news coverage and other public affairs and local interest programming; the subchannel continues to carry MyNetworkTV programming in prime time.[14][15][16]
The News-Press & Gazette Company announced on October 10, 2018, that it was convertingKSBB-CDtoATSC 3.0operations, airingNews Nowin that format, with its own ATSC 1.0 signal and programming being moved to a subchannel of KEYT-TV.[17]
On January 1, 2021, CBS programming moved from sister station KCOY to KEYT-DT2, movingNews Nowand MyNetworkTV programming to a new third subchannel.
Notable former on-air staff
edit- Christine Craft,anchor/reporter (1970s)
- Giselle Fernández,reporter (circa 1983)
- Michelle Franzen,reporter/fill-in anchor (1993–1994)
- Edie Lambert,anchor/reporter (now atKCRA-TVin Sacramento)
- Indra Petersons,reporter (now withABC News)
Technical information
editSubchannels
editThe station's digital signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KEYT-HD | ABC |
| 3.2 | 1080i | CBS-HD | CBS[1] | |
| 3.3 | 480i | Now | Local news & events /MyNetworkTV | |
| 3.4 | Bounce | Bounce | ||
| 3.5 | Telemun | Telemundo(KCOY-TV) | ||
| 3.6 | Nosey | Nosey | ||
| 3.7 | Confess | Confess |
Analog-to-digital conversion
editKEYT-TV shut down its analog signal, overVHFchannel 3, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were totransition from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transitionUHFchannel 27,[19]usingvirtual channel3.
Translators
editReferences
edit- ^abHow to find NewsChannel 12keyt (NewsChannel 3-12)January 1, 2021 (same-day retrieval)
- ^"TV Station Gets Call Letters KEYT".Santa Barbara News-Press.December 12, 1952. p. A-9.RetrievedOctober 15,2023– via Newspapers.
- ^"Facility Technical Data for KEYT-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Telecasting Yearbook 1953–1954 page 66.
- ^Ellwanger, Jim."TV Guide: Los Angeles Metropolitan Edition".
- ^"Chancellor Becomes The Biggest With Capstar Buy"(PDF).Radio & Records.September 4, 1998.RetrievedApril 24,2018.
- ^Savage, Sam (July 5, 2005)."KZSB News-Press Radio Heralds Return of Community News and Talk".redorbit.RetrievedAugust 18,2017.
- ^"NPG Paying $14.3M For KEYT Santa Barbara".tvnewscheck.September 11, 2012.RetrievedNovember 29,2022.
- ^"Consent to Assignment"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 21, 2016.RetrievedNovember 29,2022.
- ^Staff, FCC Internet Services."Application Search Details".licensing.fcc.gov.
- ^"New Owners Complete Acquisition of KEYT Television".Noozhawk.November 16, 2012.
- ^"MyNetworkTV Adds 10 Affils - Business solutions from AllBusiness".
- ^"RTN To Launch This Week in Santa Barbara"(Press release).
- ^Martin, Jeff (April 7, 2017)."KEYT, Fox 11 Launching News Now Channel".Noozhawk.RetrievedApril 22,2017.
- ^"Station response to viewer feedback regarding KEYT-DT2".Facebook,via KEYT Facebook page.RetrievedApril 25,2017.
There were a number of issues that led us to launch our News Now channel. One was the future of retro television itself was uncertain, we didn't want to be left in the lurch with no programming to offer if they suddenly went off the air. Second, we wanted to be able provide a home for community events that normally wouldn't be broadcast on the KEYT primary channel. Our affiliation agreement with retro prevented us from using our secondary channel to bring community events such as State of the City addresses or live coverage of press conferences of news events around town.
- ^"KEYT-TV SANTA BARBARA, CA".rabbitears.info.
- ^"News-Press Gazette Readies 3.0 Launch in Santa Barbara".October 10, 2018.
- ^"RabbitEars TV Query for KEYT".rabbitears.info.
- ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.